A new study by the WHO shows: Sexual and other physical violence against women is much more common worldwide than previously suspected. At least every third woman has already suffered violence. The women of El Salvador are particularly affected. There, the partner organisation Las Melidas is making a courageous commitment to the rights and protection of girls and women.
Andrea Zellhuber, responsible for violence prevention and conflict transformation
At least one woman is killed every day in El Salvador. From 2001 to 2010, 3624 women were murdered there, notes the Ombudsman's Office for the Defence of Human Rights. However, only 22 of these cases were prosecuted. In this environment, the Las Melidas organisation, supported by terre des hommes schweiz, is committed to improving the living conditions and rights of girls and young women throughout the country. The urgency of this commitment and support is shown by the following fact: from 2009 to 2011, El Salvador was the country with the highest rate of feminicide in the world according to the WHO.
The fear of those affected
Particularly with regard to impunity, there is still an urgent need for action in El Salvador. "Most women are afraid to press charges," says Maria Delia Cornejo, program coordinator at Las Melidas. The experience of the staff of the partner organisation of terre des hommes schweiz is in line with the findings published this year by the WHO in a new report on violence against women: The majority of perpetrators come from the family environment.
It is above all the fathers, uncles or brothers who inflict violence on the girls and women. Of the 136 cases that have come to Las Melidas in recent years, 75 involved domestic violence. "Many are threatened by family members to avoid going to the police. Or they are afraid that they will not be taken seriously and that their complaint will not be pursued," Maria Delia Cornejo learns time and again.
Laws are available
Legal possibilities for prosecution in the area of violence against women do exist, but they are still far too little used overall. El Salvador has new laws to protect women against violence: the law on equal rights and the elimination of discrimination against women as well as the special law on non-violent living conditions for women which came into force in 2012.
there is a lack of political will for implementation
There is a lack of political will to ensure that the new laws are effectively implemented," notes the programme coordinator. "The public prosecutor's office has so far prosecuted only three of the cases of feminicide we have submitted. This is ridiculous given the large number of cases." In fact, there is also far too little effort on the part of state institutions to make girls and women aware of the legal possibilities of the new laws.
Raising the voice together
Las Melidas encourages girls and women between 14 and 24 years of age to organize themselves and join local youth groups where they can strengthen each other and work together for their rights and against violence and discrimination. Las Melidas also trains 100 young people each year in topics such as self-determination and women's rights, who in turn pass on their knowledge in local youth groups.
Encourage legal action
In the group, the girls feel safer, so that they dare, for example, to demand measures from the local authorities for their protection. They demand that there are security men on the streets and that perpetrators of sexual assaults are prosecuted and punished. "The important thing is to break the silence, to overcome the fear of legal action," says Rosa Maria Arias of Las Melidas. "If we make the legal possibilities known and support women in using them, we can effectively contribute to the prevention of violence and intervene."
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